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Why we should not underestimate Apple's iPad
27 Jan 2010
Within minutes of the end of Steve Jobs’ announcement of the Apple iPad, I was getting emails and Twitter messages, asking me for my take on the device.
Like so many thousands, I followed the presentation through the live blogs from Engadget and the Nieman Journalism Labs, as well as Twitter.
Ahead of today’s unveiling, there was so much hype about the device that you could be forgiven for being a little underwhelmed. One study found it has been mentioned in more 25,000 articles online so far this year.
The tablet had been touted as the saviour of print, publishing, or just about any media industry going through a period of upheaval.
The irony is that a device alone is not going to save these industries and it is wrong to see Apple as some white knight.
Apple’s secret is in marrying form and function into devices that are focused on the user experience. The iPhone has demonstrated how a device can serve as a platform for new media experiences.
On first impressions, the iPad appears to offer an ideal platform to rethink journalism in a more visual, interactive and multimedia direction.
Considering the screen as just another way to display print is simply recycling the norms and conventions of one medium onto another. And embedding video in a text story falls far short of reimagining both the journalism and how to present it.
Bobbie Johnson of The Guardian tried the iPad shortly after the announcement and wondered:
The big problem I had was in trying to understand what the iPad was for: the answer, it seems, is everything.
This is exactly what is right, and wrong, about the iPad. It may seem puzzling, but by doing everything it offers a platform for individuals to tailor to their specific needs. So whatever you may want to do, there will be an app for that.
This is the first iteration of the iPad, so it is important to consider what this device could offer in subsequent incarnations.
I suspect we may end up underestimating the long-term impact of this device, both on what we consider personal computing and how we interact with media.
- Tags: Apple, iPad, Steve Jobs
About this blog
This blog is run by Professor Alfred Hermida, an award-winning online news pioneer, digital media scholar and journalism educator.
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5 Responses to Why we should not underestimate Apple's iPad
Shawn Bouchard
January 27th, 2010 at 4:29 pm
Anyone saying you can’t make money with digital content (RIAA, Hollywood, et al) is intentionally ignoring Apple’s iconoclastic innovation with hardware and software distribution methods. Apple shows the way on how to add value to digital IP in a serious way. They’re training us on how to pay for content again-that’s huge!
do we really want to save newspapers? at marco pavan photography
January 28th, 2010 at 8:31 am
[...] Anyway, “the iPad appears to offer an ideal platform to rethink journalism in a more visual, interactive and multimedia direction.” [reportr.net] [...]
nqlogic
January 29th, 2010 at 12:38 am
With the launch of the iPad tablet, Apple has managed to become the ultimate digital go-between company for high quality and high price content in a small yet very affluent segment of the population … NQ Logic encourages you to check out why Apple’s iPad is the final digital puzzle for their ultimate connected consumer strategy at http://www.nqlogic.com
dogpound
January 30th, 2010 at 3:33 pm
I’m tired of first iterations…make the damn thing right the first time and quit screwing your loyal followers (not me)…They, once again, nickel-and-dime them to death…(only it’s 50s and hundreds)
handy shop
February 20th, 2010 at 2:11 am
The Ipad looks like fun to play with, but I doubt if you can really work with it? But many people will buy it because of it look.